The United States announced on Wednesday that Sudan had paid $335 million in compensation to victims of the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
“We are pleased to announce that the United States has received the $335 million given by Sudan to compensate victims of the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2000 sinking of the USS Cole and the 2008 assassination of USAID employee John Granville,” the US Department of State said in a statement.
Sudan had been accused by the United States of sponsoring terrorists, including Al-Qaeda, which was connected to the late Jihadist Osama Bin Laden. The charge, according to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, marks the start of a new bilateral relationship between the two countries.
The US also stated that it would continue to help Sudan’s civilian-led transitional government in its efforts to bring democracy, stability, and justice to the country’s citizens. The most destructive attack was in Nairobi in 1998.
The death toll in Nairobi was ultimately estimated to be 213 people, with 5,000 people injured. The majority of the people were Africans, either passers-by or staff in nearby buildings. In the embassy itself, 44 people were killed, including 12 Americans.
In Tanzania, 11 people were killed and 70 others were injured, all of whom were onlookers. Thousands of Kenyan and Tanzanian refugees have already received tens of millions of dollars in medical care, school fees, counselling, and reconstruction programs, according to Washington.
Data source: news agencies and Africa news
